Saturday, December 29, 2012

What up wrestling fans, I'm the WrestlingNerd bringing you another written review. Today, we take a look at WWE Smackdown 12/28/12. How does the final SD of 2012 fair? Let's find out and begin.

We open up the show with Sheamus and Big Show. Sheamus wants another shot at the world title, but Show claims he has nothing more to prove to Sheamus after all these months. After all, the only singles match that Sheamus has defeated Show was the Christmas episode that nobody watched. Booker T is about to give Sheamus a title match, but after Show trashes the SD locker room, Booker gets another idea. He brings out this tumbler to determine who gets a world title shot tonight. And it turns out to be Rocky Balboa from Philadelphia, Penn---Oh wait, wrong channel. For some damn reason, Santino gets the title match. Why? Because we need more comedy on this holiday week. I might as well bring up the fact that Santino didn't end up competing since he injured himself trying to learn the Brogue Kick. As stupid as that sounds, Santino falling to the ground from injuring himself was pretty funny. That's why I can't really throw a fit about this. Don't worry, I'm sure somebody within the IWC can do the bitching for your leisure. As the night continues, we'll find out who gets the title match. Considering who gets the title match, it makes you wonder why the tumbler and/or Santino was used in the beginning. It almost looks like the show was written during the actual taping. That's not a good sign, but let's check out the other things that happened this evening.

Match #1: Brodus Clay vs Primo

Okay, so what we have here is a dinosaur fighting some guy. Things are going about….there's a headbutt…..splash…..match ends…..ladies do a suplex, baby……everybody looks pissed. Or maybe they're happy. I don't think it matters anymore. Am I drunk? I don't even know anymore.

We're back to stuff that actually matters. This match wasn't too bad. It was given a fair amount of time and flowed together rather well. It also progressed the two storylines in this match. I may not care for the Wade/Kofi deal, but at least they're trying….to some extent. The finish comes when Wade hits Kofi with the Bull Hammer.

Winner via pinfall: Wade Barrett and Rhodes Scholars

Since Santino performed his comedy quota for the evening, Ricardo Rodriguez has won the honors of getting the title match. Before Ricardo can think of something funny to say, he gets punched in the face by Show. I love Booker's response to all of this. This is ridiculous, Big Show. You're damn right this is ridiculous. Alberto Del Rio arrives late since he had to pay all the medical bills for Santa Claus. Apparently, Del Rio is pissed off that Show attacked his friend and wants to avenge him. This blows my mind on all levels. I guess Del Rio's actions at TLC meant he was gonna turn face. You can also argue how this contradicts things that happened on Raw this past week, but I like to think that the Christmas Raw was taken place in its own universe and doesn't count. In other words, we never talk about that. IT NEVER HAPPENED!!! While it makes changes to the Del Rio character, the idea of Del Rio getting thrown in the world title picture convinces me that the writers are still very high on him. Seriously, nobody has gotten more special treatment than Del Rio. Yep, even more than John Cena if you can believe that.

Match #3: Antonio Cesaro vs Zack Ryder

Antonio wins with the Neutralizer. Apparently, Antonio is gonna put the title on the line against Khali on Main Event next week. As long as this isn't a long term feud, I'm fine with the match. Don't really see why people are making a big deal out of this. Seriously, calm down.

Winner via pinfall: Antonio Cesaro

Match #4: Miz vs Dolph Ziggler

Since I didn't review last week's SD, I have some catching up to do. Apparently, Dolph and AJ are now a couple, Big E Langston is AJ and Dolph's personal bitch, and the reason this match is taking place is because Miz poked fun of AJ last week. Well, the first thing I should do is give my thoughts on the matter. I personally don't mind Big E being a bodyguard for Dolph and AJ, but my issue with this whole thing is Dolph and AJ being together. Simply put, why? Why did they do this? It makes no sense with all the previous storylines. Wasn't AJ the girl who forced Dolph to put up his MITB against Chris Jericho? What about all the stuff Dolph told AJ? It makes absolutely no sense and you're lying out of your ass if you're trying to justify this. I know a lot of people were hoping for Dolph/AJ, but I personally wasn't hoping for this. For me, I think it would've been better if Dolph started to fly on his own. At the same time, it opens up a ton of possibilities for Dolph to not only cash in the MITB, but to make his championship a longterm run. There's good and bad elements for this whole thing, but I still don't like Dolph and AJ as an on-screen couple. Thank to Big E, Dolph is able to hit the Zig Zag for the victory. After the match, Miz basically calls AJ a whore and Dolph takes offense to that. Miz is able to keep the fight going, but Big E takes him out. I think it's actually appropriate for AJ to be given that title. Kinda hard to not look at it like that since AJ has made out with half the WWE roster.

Winner via pinfall: Dolph Ziggler

Match #5: Brad Maddox vs Sheamus

Since the Shield have to service the injustice of not getting a Christmas present, they aren't here to help Maddox this time. Sheamus hits the Brogue Kick and Maddox has to find another way to make it in the WWE. Check in for Raw this week when he makes his debut as the T-shirt vendor.

Winner via pinfall: Sheamus

Match #6: Uso vs Prime Time Players

Since the WWE has been trying to give the Usos something, they scored a rollup victory on the PTP. I think we may slowly seeing the progression of the Usos climb towards tag gold. The match is short and unmemorable.

Winner via pinfall: Usos

Match #7: Big Show vs Alberto Del Rio; WHC

One of my favorite fan reactions of all time is seeing the audience cheer for a guy they couldn't stand five minutes ago. Best example of wrestling logic ever!!! Show walks out on the match and Sheamus immediately attacks Show. This results in a DQ. The show ends with Sheamus and Del Rio working together with the SD roster to take out Show. Sheamus and Del Rio working together? I think even they want to forget about their rivalry earlier in the year. It's hard to say where this is all going. It's possible for them to go with Show/Del Rio, but I still think they can get away with one more Show/Sheamus match.

Winner via DQ: Big Show

Overall Impression:

Just like Impact this past week, I didn't expect anything out of SD tonight. I thought the show was okay considering we are still on a holiday weekend, but I'll admit that you probably didn't miss much with this episode. The matches were at least tolerable, but not very memorable. The show features a lot of filler without much to really discuss. Yeah, just not a whole lot to go over. That's gonna do it for the review and I hope you enjoyed it. If you haven't taken part in the Best and Worst of WWE/TNA for 2012, please cast your votes soon. Links are at the bottom of the review. Tell me what you thought of my review or tonight's show. I will see you guys and girls in the next one.

Friday, December 28, 2012

What up wrestling fans, I'm the WrestlingNerd bringing you another written review. Today, we take a look at TNA Impact Wrestling 12/27/12. After the Christmas holidays and skipping wrestling-themed holiday shows that I will NOT review, does getting back in the realm of things make this show watchable? Let's find out and start the review.

We open up the show with Tonsil Ray. Bully claims that he's gonna prove to Hulk Hogan that he can trust him. Brooke Hogan comes out and claims Hogan knows about this relationship. Apparently, none of the TNA employees try to boost up their own ratings by watching their own product. How else would they not know about the last image from last week? In other words, we open up the show with wrestling logic since the talent/characters aren't supposed to know about the cameras. Brooke wants to prove to Hulk that Bully is a trustworthy guy, while Bully claims there's nothing to prove. Bully is taking the John Cena method to all of this. He hits it, denies the claims, and now proceeds to quit it. Apparently, there's just too much craziness going on in the Hogan house for Bully to deal with. This is getting confusing. It's bad enough the storyline is hard to digest, but now it's starting to look like a labyrinth. Once the newlyweds leave, Austin Aries challenges Bobby Roode to a match. So, we have two openings? To be honest, I don't mind the last opening. After what happened last week, Aries/Bobby is the best way to go since this will most likely lead to a triple threat. Aries continues to take shots at Jeff Hardy, but manages to get a couple of minor shots on Bobby. After all, this is the man who screwed him over for the title last week. I think this will be an interesting main event.

Match #1: Samoa Joe vs Unimportant Guy #84

Since Joe has nothing going for him, time to challenge a man at a children's card ga---wait, wrong show. This match was boring and short. At least the pain wasn't long. After the match, Joe is about to unmask the member, but Unimportant Guy #84 holds more power than Doc since Aces and Eights save him from the embarrassment of being a public member of this stable. I really wish they would just reveal another member of Aces and Eights already. I understand TNA's waiting until 1/3/13 to do anything, but another way to add hype is to add to the storyline from a different perspective. Revealing another member isn't much, but it's a start. Nothing new has happened with this stable for months. The Shield hasn't been around very long, but has way more going for it than Aces and Eights. Come on!!! Do something!!! Anything!!! I'll take anything at this point!!! DO IT NOW!!!

Winner via submission: Samoa Joe

What in the holy mother of blue flippin' back-tracking, sunny-side, fan-blowing, son of a bitchin', slap my ass and call me silly, hell is a bro off? I feel dirty for having to witness this….bro off? Nobody wants to see a bro off in public. Just keep it in your pants and let's move on. So, what we get here is a dance-off between Robbie E and Jesse. Is Jesse doing a pose-down with a variation of the Terminator theme? Am I the only one that thought that while listening to that song? So, when does James Cameron and Arnold Schwarzenegger sue TNA? Eh, they probably don't even know what a 'TNA's is. Robbie T joins in on the party and ends up dancing the night away. You know what this reminded me of? When Vladimir Kozlov did that dance out of nowhere a few years back. It was hilarious back but, but now it's…..still funny. I was actually satisfied with this segment. If you didn't enjoy this….

Match #2: RVD vs Christian York

Instead of challenging Kenny King, he challenges York. I can see what TNA's trying to do here. By denying Kenny, it will add to his character as he continues to build his cockiness. York gives him a match, but RVD ends up winning cleanly. I really don't mind York losing this match. I don't really see all the hype with York. He's okay, but he isn't what I would call future of the business. He could be a fair mid-card talent, but I still need to see more before I can make that claim. We'll see how Kenny reacts to being passed over next week.

Winner via pinfall: RVD

So, Aces and Eights method to recruiting the newest member is to give them STDs? Okay, just checking. It's the NCAA specialty. As Joseph Park continues to train, Sting claims to make Doc his first target for next week's show. Oh…..does it even matter at this point? I know I should be excited for this, but I'm not. Sting has returned more times than a boomerang. Well, maybe there's still so hope for this date. After all, we could be in store for something awesome come next week. Well, I can at least hope.

Match #3: Bad Influence vs Team Taco Bueno

Christopher Daniels comes out to poke fun of AJ Styles, but what ends up happening is Kaz imitating Styles. Some of it was okay, but there was a mix of bad acting. I can live the rest of my life without having to witness that again. Chavo and Hernandez challenge these guys because…..the string on their paddleball broke? Seriously, why are they here? It's just a cheap excuse for a match. Geeze, Tazz. I understand you were trying to be sarcastic when Todd mentioned 'Hart Attack', but you can at least TRY to give a s***. I'm guessing TNA doesn't pay you enough for effort. Chavo's team wins this match with the Frog Splash. Did Joey Ryan and Matt Morgan completely give up on getting the tag titles? I'm just checking.

Winner via pinfall: Chavo Guerrero and Hernandez

Tazz's keys to victory? Oh….that's hilarious. Back with Aces and Eights, the guy they bring in is Mr. Anderson. Wow. It's like they aren't even trying anymore. I thought it was gonna be somebody cool, but we get Anderson? You know, that guy who's done NOTHING for the last year. Well, at least he has something to do, but Anderson's stock is so low that you could've put anyone in that situation and it would've made more of a splash than Anderson. Seriously, Eric Young and ODB would've been better choices….okay, well maybe not THAT far. This is the part of the review where the smarks complain about Anderson being married since they have nothing else better to talk about than the realms of breaking kayfabe. Seriously, who the f*** cares? It's a storyline and nothing more. Get on with it.

Match #4: Tessmacher vs Gail Kim

In a surprise move, Gail wins with Eat Defeat. At the same time, I don't see the purpose of this match. I guess you can argue that it could mean another potential storyline with the KOs, but I really don't see the point. I'm guessing Velvet's pigeons were at a magic show this weekend, so you get this pointless match.

Winner via pinfall: Gail Kim

Match #5: Austin Aries vs Bobby Roode

Sting is coming to get you? When does he start eating worms and smash clocks over his skull? YIKES!!! What in the world was up with Hardy's brief promo about the creatures not wanting either of these men to be the world champion? I know TNA gave some foreshadowing towards this, but now they're forcing it. I love the moment where Bobby and Aries end up working together to take out Earl Hebner. Hardy ends up showing up from behind to take out both Aries and Bobby. So, you redemption is to copy what has happened the last two weeks? Hardy worked extra hard to think of that statement, don't you think? Joking aside, I kinda figured something like this was gonna happen. It pretty much guarantees a triple threat match for the upcoming PPV. The match was okay, so that's a positive.

No Contest

Overall Impression:

To be honest, Impact really wasn't that bad. The show was tolerable, but it didn't add a ton of stuff into the development of their major storylines. You also have to keep in mind that TNA is compensating for people not watching this week due to the holidays. It was fair to roll out a decent amount of filler with a couple of moments to keep you entertained for these type of weeks. Another thing that helped this show was the lack of Hogan drama. After the intro, it was never brought up again. I know it will be back again next week, but at least we get a break from the whole thing. Still, the matches were forgettable and the best moment was the comedy segment. Yeah, they revealed Anderson as a possible candidate, but his name just doesn't strike that big on the list these days. When the character has gone this far down, it's hard to get excited about this spot. While the show didn't have a ton going for itself, I went into this thing expecting nothing. I got a laugh and I was satisfied. I know that doesn't seem like much, but I have to give them a pass because of the holiday week. After next week is when I'll get after this show again. They've been hyping up that date for over a month and they need to make that episode worth something. The episode is a fair distraction if you don't take your wrestling seriously (It's guys in tights creating soap opera angles. Yeah, like this needs to be taken seriously in any degree), you might get something out of this. If you take wrestling too seriously, than you're gonna hate this episode along with everything else you've gotten this week. Come on, folks. It's the holidays and the wrestling companies are trying to have some type of fun. Where's your holiday spirit? That's gonna do it for the review and I hope you enjoyed it. As always, tell me what you thought of my review or tonight's show. If you want to take part of the Best and Worst of for WWE/TNA in 2012, please take part in the poll. There's some links at the bottom that will take you to the action. I will see you guys and girls in the next one.

Wednesday, December 26, 2012

Well, it's that time of the year again. No, not the Wheel of Morality. It's time for us to look back in the pro wrestling world for the best and worst of 2012. If you're new to this, let me get you caught up to speed in how this works. At the end of the year, I like to look back at the best and worst between WWE and TNA. This is similar to the Slammys, but actually done with some dignity. As with WrestlingNerd tradition, you get to cast your votes in whom YOU think is the most deserving for the selected categories. I will make my own selection at the end of the year as well and we'll look back and see the similarities and differences I have with the majority. I think the idea of a debate or a difference of opinion is what truly makes this fun. I've enjoyed doing this for the last two years and I've noticed a spike in viewership on this page, so I think we can have even more fun this year. Voting will be open to the general public starting today and it will run until January 7th, 2013. That should give you plenty of time to decide. I also ask you to ONLY VOTE ONCE. I'm aware that I can't keep a tab on that, but I strongly request this so everyone gets an equal shot at voicing their opinion. If you have any last-minute recommendations on the list, please feel free to do so. I know I'm guilty of making my fair share of mistakes and it's certainly possible I missed something, but I most likely won't be adding any addition categories since this is the largest amount of categories that I've ever had. You can visit the link right here, or you can visit the link at the bottom of this list. Happy voting.

(ie: I'm not gonna include stuff like diva matches/comedy matches, or things like Cena/Cole or Cena/Laurinaitis since they aren't designed to be actual matches. They're joke matches that you shouldn't take seriously. It doesn't need to be recognized. Let alone, earn an award)

Friday, December 21, 2012

What up wrestling fans, I'm the WrestlingNerd bringing you another written review. Today, we take a look at TNA Impact Wrestling 12/20/12. How did this week fair? Let's find out and begin.

Match #1: Devon vs Kurt Angle; TV Championship

With open up with the greatest championship in wrestling today, the TV title. Before this match starts, Aces and Eights and TNA guys start a brawl before the match starts. Devon manages to sneak in a chop block on Angle before this match starts. Keep in mind on how the ref sent everyone to the back that wasn't involved in this match. KEEP THAT IN MIND!!! Not that it's important or something. I don't know why, but matches between Devon and Kurt seem boring. Their chemistry keeps them from having good matches. Well, it isn't their fault. TNA insist on having this rivalry between them so they can give Kurt something to do. The finish comes when Aces and Eights show up AGAIN and interfere. Nobody ever takes the TNA refs seriously, but can you blame them? These guys are so ridiculous that not even a cartoon character would believe them. With the ref having issues with Aces and Eights, one of the random members hit Kurt with a weapon. Devon picks the bones and retains the title. Aces and Eights is determined to keep the worst championship in TNA. Gotta aim low!!!

Winner via pinfall and still TV Champion: Devon

The Knockout deliberation, BROUGHT TO YOU BY FIVE-HOUR ENERGY!!! Does TNA have any shame in these cheap advertisements? Something tells me they don't as long as the check clears. Brooke Hogan discuss who should get the KO title match. Does anyone really enjoy these deliberations? I honestly don't see the point of them. It just seems like a cheap excuse for the Hogans to eat up more time. Do they get paid for every minute on television? Actually, that would explain a lot. Well, ODB ends up getting eliminated since she wants to continue with this abomination of a marriage with Eric Young. Is there any point to keeping ODB/EY together? If you enjoy their comedy, that's fine. For me, I can't stand their attempts at comedy.

Match #2: Big and Sleaze vs King Pot Heads

I love how RVD and Kenny King are teaming up for a tag team match, despite what happened last week. Either RVD is obeying the wrestling logic and doesn't believe in the concept of instant replay or he decided to go on a shroom adventure. At this point, I will believe either one. The match was kinda there and really didn't stand out. The finish comes when Morgan is about to hit the Carbon Footprint on Kenny, but Kenny looks at his surroundings and decides to book it and let RVD take the fall. So, that's two straight weeks where Kenny has acted like a complete douche. You might as well get used to the idea of Kenny playing the heel. It's still early to see how this will play out for him, but at least it gives Kenny some type of motive.

Winner via pinfall: Joey Ryan and Matt Morgan

Just as Hogan talks about the Impact Wrestler of the year (Ballot consist of Thunderlips, Hulk Hogan, Terry Bollea, and Mr. America), Aces and Eights interrupt the party. Aces and Eights claim they will reveal details in 2013. Cuz you know, they simply can't do that now. We're padding!!! We're padding!!! We're padding down the river. Bully Ray arrives for the save. I love how a group of thugs with weapons run away from one guy. Hogan still can't trust Bully, so he walks away from him. Ummm….Aces and Eights can attack Bully right now. What's stopping them? This scene gives some foreshadowing towards 1/3/13. If you've been paying attention, you will know that TNA is hyping up that date. Well, have I ever told you folks that I told you so? Well, you'll find out later in the review what I mean by that. We aren't done with this Bully/Hogan stuff. Get your barf bags ready.

Earlier in the night, Kaz got a call from a guy named "Chris". You get it? It's Santa? TNA is so clever!!! For this next scene, Christopher Daniels is with Santa and they want to give AJ Styles' kids presents since their daddy cannot support them. Even after chasing Styles away, they just can't leave him alone. The tree has two two stars on it….

I love this look that Daniels gives when Santa ask if he's been a good boy this year. That photo was priceless. That seriously made my day right there. I want that on a Christmas card. James Storm comes out since he has nothing else to do on this show. So, what they've basically done here is replace Styles with Storm in order to keep this rivalry going. In fact, I'm trying to wonder what are the reasons for Storm wanting to get involved with Kaz and Daniels. I realize Storm has been going up against Kaz and Daniels for the last couple of weeks, but why? What business does Storm have on these guys? Is this because of the Gangnam Style? Is it because they don't drink beer? Are they pissed off that Ric Flair isn't with TNA anymore? Seriously, what's the feud? Oh, and if you use the excuse that Storm thought Kaz and Daniels were insulting Christmas, that's a lame excuse and you know it. I got it!!! Storm vs Santa for match of the year. Why do I feel that Santa was played by the cafeteria worker at Universal Studios?

So, after all those weeks of the 1/3/13 build, it turns out that it will be Sting returning. As stupid as this sounds since Sting re-debuts every two months, Aces and Eights is all of the sudden concerned for Sting's return and their lack in numbers. See, this is why doing that giant brawl in earlier in the year makes TNA look silly. You had those Aces and Eights member coming from everywhere. They were to your left, to your right, up the rafters, under the ring, up your ass. Seriously, they were everywhere. What happened to all those guys? The president fired them all since he couldn't think of a stupid enough names for all of them. Well, it turns out Devon has a guy in mind on who will join the renegade group of card players. Tune in next week for more bulls***, ladies and gentlemen. This is the part where people theorize who will be the mystery guy. Personally, I don't give a s***. It probably won't lead to anybody big or surprising. Well, there's still a small glimmer of hope for something interesting, but don't be surprised if it turns out to be Crimson or somebody like that.

Match #3: Tara vs Mickie James; KO Title match

Brooke decides to give Mickie a title shot since she needs to take a backseat to a bunch of pigeons. Thanks to interference, Tara is able to steal this match. The match was fair for KO standards, but not a whole lot to report. For the most part, I'm indifferent to the Tara/Jesse pairing. It isn't great, but isn't terrible either. It's just kind of there.

Winner via pinfall and still KO Champ: Tara

Match #4: Jeff Hardy vs Austin Aries; TNA World Title

Not the best Aries/Hardy match, but not too shabby either. This is a great edition to the series. The finish comes when we end up having a ref bump. Aries use this to hit a low blow, followed by the Brainbuster. Since the ref is down, we get a backup ref to make the count. Just as the count is about to come down, Bobby Roode interrupts the count and attacks Aries. Hardy ends up hitting Swanton Bomb to retain the title. You should've figured that Bobby would get back in the middle of this. I personally don't mind this move. Like I mentioned last week, Aries' motives for hiring Aces and Eights makes no sense, but I can allow this to pass since I prefer a much more edgy Aries than a tame Aries. A triple threat match is the best way to go. It sounds like it could be a lot of fun.

Winner via pinfall and still TNA World Champ: Jeff Hardy

Now would've been a good way to end the show, but TNA wants to make sure you have your vomit-reflexes. Just as Hogan is leaving the building, he sees Brooke and Bully making out. Oh boy, where do I begin? First of all, why didn't Hogan do anything about this? Isn't this what he doesn't want to see? So, why just watch it and just drive away? Maybe he had to wash away the sin. It appears that Bully was lying to Hulk….kinda. Bully has claimed that Brooke has been the one interested in him, blah blah blah. Just say it out loud to yourself. Brooke Hogan making out with Bully Ray? Who wrote this? Who asked for this? If Bully was cocky, arrogant, and showed off his calves and talked tough, this would make perfect sense. Can you even call him 'Bully Ray' anymore? He's more like Buddy Ray at this point since he turned face….I think. I think that's one of my main problems with this whole thing. Bully works a hell of a lot better as a bad guy. I know this has been going on for a couple of weeks, but I still can't move past this.

Overall Impression:

Between tonight and the Slammys, I'm trying to figure out which is the less of two evils. Okay, I wouldn't go that far. Tonight's Impact was somewhat presentable, but not a whole lot stood out. One thing I really liked was the entire progression between Hardy, Aries, and Roode. I think that was progressed very well and I think adds a lot of intrigue for down the road. The Christmas bit was a bit of a guilty pleasure because of how ridiculously hammy it was. With that said, there was some disappointments. I didn't like how they announced who 1/3/13 was already. Not only was the reveal or surprise completely gone, but the fact that it's Sting is such a letdown. Sting returns so many times to TNA that it has lost complete meaning. Sting's returning? From what? A month off? Going to pick up a pizza? It's ridiculous and just an excuse to get the Impact Zone to get their panties up in a bunch when their hero returns for the one-millionth time. Not even Undertaker gets this many returns in a year, so I wish they would present these returns in small doses and not blow it up completely. Most of you know that I'm not big on the Brooke/Bully deal and while tonight's setup adds some intrigue (major emphasis on 'some'), it also offers a heavy sigh of disappointment. There is some good to be had with tonight's show, but there's plenty of spots that could prevent you from enjoying this. That's gonna do it for the review and I hope you enjoyed it. As always, tell me what you thought of my review or tonight's show. I will see you guys and girls in the next one.

Monday, December 17, 2012

What up wrestling fans, I'm the WrestlingNerd bringing you another written review. Today, we take a look at WWE Raw 12/17/12. How do the Slammys fair? Let's find out and start the review.

Match #1: Damien Sandow vs Rey Mysterio

We open up the show with this match. Rey wins by hitting a crossbody. Oh, we're starting the show like this? Not only did the match breeze by, but I really have to question why Rey won this match. Rhodes Scholars are the #1 contender and they just beat these guys last night. The ideal thing to do is end this rivalry and move on to Team Hell No. Instead, you get this strange booking that doesn't do anything. Rey and Sin Cara are still out on the outside looking in, while RS are thinking about gold. This match shouldn't have even taken place. I can understand trying to give Rey and Sin something, but there are better ways to do it. And it seems that Damien is becoming the being of sporadic skill set. How can he take Sheamus and John Cena to the limit, but struggles against Rey? I know this is one of the biggest examples of wrestling logic, but it bothered me since Damien was going over in singles competition just a few weeks ago. Booker T came out to give a Slammy to Kofi Kingston since the fans voted for him. As always, there's gonna be some disagreements when it comes to the Slammys. Honestly, are you surprised? It isn't like we should be taking the Slammys seriously. It's a fake award show on a staged wrestling product. It really shouldn't surprise you in who gets these things. They also use these things for storyline development, so it isn't about actually acknowledging the best of 2012. That's why I encourage people to take part in the 3rd Annual WrestlingNerd awards. It's like the Slammys, but done with dignity…..I think. And for some reason, the Boogeyman showed up to interrupt this segment. Yeah, you know the WWE is pulling out all the stops if they bring the Boogeyman to make a cameo. We could be in for a looooooooooonnnnng night.

Winner via pinfall: Rey Mysterio

Match #2: Eve vs Kaitlyn

If you want to know who won the Slammys, look them up. I'm not gonna talk about who got what and the results since I already gave my opinion on the Slammys in general. I will only bring up the Slammys if they effect certain scenes. Either that or it's something worth mentioning. So, now we get the match that should've happened last night. Kaitlyn wins this match cleanly. I really don't like this storyline. It's so lazily put together and…..No, it's just plain lazy. They talk about it one week, don't mention it for weeks, and now talk about it again? My head hurts.

Winner via pinfall: Kaitlyn

Match #3: Kofi Kingston vs Tensai

So, how is DX in the category for Comeback of the Year? Where did they comeback from? A bathroom break? Come on, there's a DX reunion every year. Oh, and how isn't Tensai in the running for this award? I mean, he just had the greatest year ever. Am I right? Kofi wins with the Trouble in Paradise since Tensai is wondering what went wrong when he decided to come back to WWE. After the match, Wade Barrett attacks. UGGGGGGGH!!! Are you kidding me? Are you freakin' kidding me? Actually, I'm not even shocked they would continue this. Don't get me wrong. I like Wade Barrett and I want to see him used better, but he really shouldn't be going after the IC Championship. This rivalry is about as well done as the Antonio/Truth rivalry. Oh boy.

Winner via pinfall: Kofi Kingston

Kiss of the Year, or as I like to call it, the AJ Lee Award. They totally designed this so AJ has another interaction with Vickie Guerrero. Geeze. This is becoming the storyline that doesn't want to die. It's pretty funny that the winning kiss turned out to be the worst kiss I've ever seen from this company. I think Cena was confused when he made that kiss. AJ claims she doesn't have to explain anything. You know, AJ is quickly becoming the character on this show to detest the most. I like her, but WWE has gone overboard by putting her in everything. Simply put, I'm "AJ'd out". I've seen enough and I wish they would present her in small doses again. So, AJ continues to be bat s*** crazy when she makes out with Dolph in a matter of seconds. I'm honestly not surprised this happened. In fact, I thought this would've happened last night. Because of this altercation, Vickie and Dolph would continue to argue for the whole night. In many ways, it was the theme of the whole show. Welcome back to another edition of 'The Young and the Fruity Pebbles'. Part of your complete breakfast.

Match #4: Khali vs David Otunga

If you knew who won this match, then I feel sorry that you had to watch this contest. We're moving on and I regret nothing.

Who won? Who gives a damn

They are presenting WWE Superstar of the year now? I guess they wanted to make sure kids voted for their hero before their bedtime. Cena wins the vote and the internet is not gonna let this go for the next year. Cena claims he can't accept the award and instead gives it to Ric Flair. So, the WWE Superstar of the year is giving to a guy who worked for TNA most of the year? Well, that's a first. CM Punk comes out to complain about the injustice of this voting. Hmmm….injustice…..pro wrestling…..NXT….Coca-Cola….Well, this leads to a scuffle between Flair and Punk. I think the highlight of the show was Punk doing the Flair strut. I''m being serious with that statement. An elderly man vs a man with one leg. If that isn't the match of the century, than I don't know what is. Flair talks about how great it is to be back until the Shield arrive. So, I guess the injustice this time around was working for TNA? Oh, the TNA fans are gonna tear me a new one with that comment. Oh, and if you're wondering why I'm not acting surprised by Flair's return, it's because WWE spoiled it. In fact, the editing of tonight's show was really bad. Why is it that the Shield attack before a commercial break, but you come back and Team Hell No has arrived to help out? Where's the transition? Where's anything? What's going on here? We should be excited for Flair's return, but it just passed by as if it was nothing. Normally, the editing or the commercial breaks are fine, but tonight's show went to commercial break at the wrong times in many cases. I guess you can argue it was like that because of the Slammy voting. Even if that was the case, there's no excuse for miscues like this. It makes you look very amateur-like with your presentation. I'm sorry, but WWE dropped the ball in this department.

Match #5: Brodus Clay vs JTG

Winner via pinfall: Brodus Clay

Match #6: Cody Rhodes vs Sin Cara

At least the LOL moment of the year award got a good laugh, and it had nothing to do with Santino and Tensai. Thank you for Team Hell No. Fat Albert, huh? I bet it took Santino three months to come up with that one. So, now we have this match? Did the creative staff even remember what happened last night? Cody ends up winning this match in uninteresting fashion. Apparently, they will get a tag team title match on Main Event this week. While it adds something to Main Event, I kinda wish they would save this for an upcoming episode of Raw. It just seems like a missed opportunity since tag team wrestling is doing so well right now.

Winner via pinfall: Cody Rhodes

What was the point of hashtag of the year? It just seemed like an excuse to get Zack Ryder to say his stupid catchphrase. I love how they mention the WWE App and there's a mixture of boos in the audience. Even I have to boo this shameless plug. This might be worse than Kurt Angle's Five Hour Energy deal on Impact……No, no it isn't. Big Show comes out to take about being the world champion, while Sheamus tries to be a good sport and shakes his hand. After Show teased Sheamus, Super Irishman takes out Show with the giant chair and the Brogue Kick. Dolph is about to cash in the MITB, but Cena attacks Dolph before it happens. I was pretty excited when I saw Dolph run down that ramp, but that instantly went away when I saw Cena arrive to break up the party. If you cock block Cena, he makes sure he ruins it for everyone else. Oh, what a missed opportunity. It would've been a great time for him to cash it in, but Cena proves he's the superstar of the year by trolling you. I was sadden by this result.

Match #7: 3MB vs Alberto Del Rio, Miz, and Tommy Dreamer

Child in the audience: Mommy, why are they chanting, "ECW"

Random parent: Shut up and drink your juice box.

First the Boogeyman and now Tommy Dreamer? All we need is Funaki and we have the show of the year. That's right. Let's get this party started!!! YEAH!!!

I love Dreamer's look as he begs for a tag. That's the look of a man that's screaming, "Come on man!!! I need this. They told me if I got the pinfall, they would give me a pizza. I want pizza!!!". Dreamer hits a DDT and picks up the victory. I can't buy Del Rio as a good guy. He acts like a prick most of the time, but seeing him do what the fans want is just strange. This is just a strange transition. The strange case of Alberto Del Rio.

Winner via cooking: Tommy Dreamer, Alberto Del Rio, and Miz

Match #8: Ryback vs Antonio Cesaro

Ryback may not be WWE Champion, but he gets the consolation prize of winning, not one, but TWO Slammys. Yeeeeeeeaaaaaahhhhhh….sigh. Just like any match for tonight's show, it was short and unmemorable. Yeah, the action really took a backseat tonight, but that's actually normal for the Slammys. Ryback wins this match via countout. Feed me swiss cheese!!!

Winner via countout: Ryback

In the back, Shield attacks Dreamer and Ricardo Rodriguez. The injustice this time around was Dreamer not sharing his pizza. As for Ricardo, his injustice was for Del Rio's weird change of attitude. Seriously, Del Rio's actions absolutely make no sense. Feel the touch of Vince Russo. Noooooooo!!!

Match #9: Dolph Ziggler and AJ vs John Cena and Vickie Guerrero

Oh, so I forgot to mention Vickie booking this match since her and Dolph seem to be having some issues. Just as AJ is about to explain herself, Vickie interrupts….

Dammit, I was hoping Vickie would've finally shut up. In minutes, AJ walks out on this match and so does Vickie. Dolph is thinking about leaving since he's thinking about the possibility of a threesome, but Cena keeps this match going. Cena has Dolph in the STF until AJ arrives with….Rydark? Ryblack? Blackberg? Yeah, I can do this all night, but we need to wrap this up. Big E Langston shows up and attacks Cena. As you would've guessed, the man's built like a beast. So, the first question to pop into your head is who in the hell is Big E Langston? Well, that's exactly what I said. Apparently, he's another NXT talent that's been called up to the main roster. I don't know anything about this guy and his credentials. So, I will just give my thoughts on the guy as we continue to see more of him. Now, I actually like this ending since it gives a rookie the chance to be featured on this show, but with everything else that happened tonight, this wasn't that great of a debut. Hard to say where this is going, but I'm at least somewhat interested to see what this guy can do.

Winner via DQ: John Cena

Overall Impression:

The Slammys should get some type of attention since there was a craptastic game on ESPN, but there still wasn't a whole lot to keep you intrigued with this show. Like I said, TLC was great, but this wasn't a good way to build off of that. The matches were forgettable and boring. Outside of Flair and the real legends at the end of the show, the cameos were very uninteresting. Seriously, the Boogeyman? Was the Shockmaster booked up? I'm really growing tired of AJ. That's saying something since I've usually been high on AJ, but her last few storylines have really made me dislike the character. I was hoping for more build with the Shield. Sure, they were on the show, but I was hoping they would do more. After all, they just defeated Team Hell No and Ryback in a TLC match. Who's idea was it to keep the Shield more sheltered this week? Langston's debut was 'meh' at best. Yeah, I just didn't get much of an enjoyment out of this evening. I know Slammy episodes tend to be pretty bad, but it almost felt like they weren't trying. It's almost as if these shows were written by two different people when you watch TLC and then tonight's show. One person who did their homework and put on a good product, while the other person smoked pot and just hoped for the best. It was almost surreal watching this since we just saw TLC last night. If you liked the show, that's okay. Everybody has their own preference, but I really advise avoiding this episode. That's gonna do it for the review and I hope you got some enjoyment out of this. As always, tell me what you thought of my review or tonight's show. I will see you guys and girls in the next one.

We open up the show with a #1 contender match. There was a divas battle royal in the pre-show. Was it any good? Well, I don't know. I didn't even bother to watch it….kinda. I tried to watch it, but found myself distracted with more important things…

Apparently, Naomi won the match and will get a title match later tonight. What? Well, that came completely out of left field. Naomi has done nothing but dance to an overweight dinosaur all year, but now gets a title match? And to add to it all, WWE continues to talk about Kaitlyn/Eve. Either continue feeding the storyline or just pull the plug. Come on, you're better than this….I think. The tag match was definitely a lot better. It had a couple of cool moments and I really liked the finish. Sin Cara is about to go for a springboard, but Cody Rhodes shoves Sin off the ropes and goes through a table. I just love this sequence of images. It's like Cody said, "F*** you, Power Rangers!!!". That's what you get for trying to save Angel Grove. Rhodes Scholars will get another tag opportunity. Considering their rivalry with Team Hell No was put on hold, this comes as no surprise. I actually liked the early development between Hell No and Rhodes Scholars, so it should be great to see how this unfolds as we come closer to 2013.

As I've said for the past month, why did we have to see this match again? This was no different to the match they had at Survivor Series. You have waisted so much of my time. Antonio wins with the Neutralizer. Hopefully, Antonio gets a new program. As for Truth, I'm sure Arkham Asylum is looking for their patient.

Winner via pinfall and still US Champ: Antonio Cesaro

We interrupt this show to bring you Miz TV. Aw yes, Miz TV. The show that's quickly becoming an easily excuse to eat up time. 3MB are the guest for tonight's edition. 3MB decides to poke fun of the Spanish announce team for speaking their language. This is coming from the Southern guy, a Scotsman, and an Indian. Yeah, that one speaks for itself. After they continue to insult Mexicans, Ricardo Rodriguez arrives to do something about it, but his comedic mind can't seem to help him in this situation. That's when Alberto Del Rio arrives to help his friend. Yeah, so if there was ever the idea to make Del Rio a face, this was it. Miz eventually joined in the fight and this leads to a match for later tonight. It will be 3MB vs Del Rio, Miz and a partner of their choice. Now, it's 3MB vs Clusterf*** Galore. Who would've thought Del Rio and Miz would be working together because of Mexican stereotyping? It's like something out of a bad fan-fiction. Regardless, we have another match on for tonight. Apparently, Daniel Bryan and Kane seem to like this idea…..

Match #3: Kofi Kingston vs Wade Barrett; IC Championship

In a pretty forgettable match, Kofi wins with the Trouble in Paradise. While I didn't see the point in Wade winning the IC championship, I also didn't see the point of him even starting a rivalry with Kofi. I just didn't see the point in any of this. I'm gonna do the Award Show for a third straight year (I know, cheap plug) and I need to get this out of the way. I personally think the mid-card division for 2012 has been a complete joke. While tag team wrestling may have risen and become more popular than it has in years, it meant a dent to the mid-card division. I almost feel bad for the fact that I want to name a mid-carder of the year for 2012. I really hope 2013 is a better year for this division since there's no excuse for this. WWE has loads of talent in the mid-card, but it's just a matter of using them correctly and getting good rivalries/storylines going forward. Let's up that changes moving forward.

Winner via pinfall and still IC Champ: Kofi Kingston

Match #4: The Shield vs Ryback and Team Hell No; TLC match

I should note that CM Punk did cut a promo from the skybox before this match started. It was the basics, but it was enjoyable. The TLC match is happening this early in the night? I can understand why, but this just seems odd. I'm guessing John Cena washed Mr. McMahon's car to earn another PPV main event. They hand this things out like candy to Cena. You know, I'm starting to think Ryback enjoys getting that triple powerbomb through the announce table….

To my surprise, WWE actually made Shield look very competitive. Think about it? We have three NXT rookies going up against two former world champions and a man with a large appetite. I thought this would be a Shield disaster, but they made them look very good. They showed their moxie and were able to put together some fun spots. I think a match like this will do wonders for Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins, and Roman Reigns. Hard to say what all three of these guys will be doing 3-5 years from now, but this is a decent start. Shield kept doing the group attacks on their opponents. Kane was buried underneath a pile of weapons. Either that or he was taking a nap under all those chairs. Ryback was kept at bay for most of the match, and Bryan end up taking the pinfall. The finish comes when Shield does just enough to win this match cleanly. They powerbomb Bryan through a table and manage to pick up the victory. I thought this was a much better idea for WWE. I originally thought CM Punk would've gotten involved in this match, but Shield getting a victory like this tells a much better story. It makes them look like a strong group united and are determined to do whatever it takes to serve injustice. Oh, and somebody better give Seth a Christmas bonus for taking that fall.

Winner via pinfall: Shield

Match #5: Eve vs Naomi; Divas Championship

I'm really convinced WWE is simply trolling you with the diva division. Why else would it be this random? You know they aren't taking this seriously when they have Naomi act like a complete noob when we saw her get trained during her NXT days. Nobody watched NXT Season 3, thus it never happened. Eve wins the match and nobody gave a crap.

Winner via blah blah blah: Who cares

Match #6: Big Show vs Sheamus; Chairs match for WHC

I really enjoyed this match. It's nowhere near as good as their match at Hell in a Cell, but this was a decent match to add into the series. The finish comes when Show has to pick up a fat boy, chair and uses it on Sheamus to pick up the victory. I was a little surprised with this finish. I actually thought Sheamus was gonna get his revenge and take the title, but they are gonna roll with Show a little longer. I kinda like this move since it doesn't make it too obvious. The rivalry is kinda up in the air in continuing or stopping. If this is the end, who challenges for the title next? If Sheamus is done with Show, what does he do after this? I think these are all good questions. I think they can get another match out of Show/Sheamus until it comes time to cash in the MITB, but I'm fine with this rivalry ending this way.

Winner and still WHC: Big Show

Match #7: 3MB vs Alberto Del Rio, Miz, and Brooklyn Brawler

That's right. Out of everybody available in the back, they pick the Brooklyn Brawler. Now, even though I can see people complaining about this, I actually got a chuckle out of this. Come on, it's the Brawler fighting in his hometown. Why not have him pick up his….tenth win? Yeah, let's go with that. And I'm not really that big on the Zack Ryder bandwagon, so I'm glad they did this. It isn't like this match has major implications. It was filler. You're complaining about a filler match. Do I have to continue? Brawler wins this match by having a member of 3MB tap out to the Boston Crab. While you can argue this hurts 3MB, I didn't see them as a group that would take down main eventers. That's what the Shield is for. 3MB is mostly around to take down the undercard and maybe mid-carders. Either that or they are one-hit wonders.

Winner via submission: Brooklyn Brawler, Alberto Del Rio, and Miz

Match #8: Dolph Ziggler vs John Cena; MITB ladder match

The audience was very vocal for this match. I thought the Brooklyn audience was very enjoyable tonight. I always enjoy when an audience can get into the show. This was a ladder match, but you can tell they decided to bend the rules (the tables). At the same time, I could care less for being accurate with the rules. As long as it's more entertaining, break all the rules you want. This was a very good match. It still think the TLC match was the match of the night because of the spots, but this one makes an argument for being the match of the night. I was pleased with this contest. I love how every time Cena pulls off a new move, the commentators squeal like a bunch of schoolgirls. It's one new move in 3-4 years. That isn't saying a whole lot. Speaking of schoolgirls, AJ interferes when Vickie decides to stick her nose into this match. After AJ gets her revenge on Vickie, Cena starts to climb the ladder. That's when AJ surprises us by pushing Cena off the ladder….

John Cena: AJ, I thought what we had for 20 minutes was special!!! You bitch!!! How could you!!!

Dolph seems confused by this, but AJ just smiles at him and leaves. Dolph uses this opportunity to climb the ladder and is finally able to get that victory over Cena. The show ends with Dolph celebrating and Cena….smiling? I know he's Cena, but does he need to have that s***-eating grin on his face regardless of what has happened? It's like you aren't even trying to act. Regardless of that hiccup, I actually like this ending. It makes you ask the question what people have been asking all year, "what the hell is AJ thinking?". I would really like to know since she has been all over the place this year. I guess you can say AJ just turned heel, but it's kinda hard for me to make that claim when you look at her 2012 resume. I kinda think of this as AJ acting like AJ. At the same time, I'm not ruling out the possibility of AJ turning heel. If that's the case, I don't want to see an alliance between Dolph and AJ. Dolph is starting to find his own identity by slowly breaking away from Vickie, so you have to forgive me if I'm not jumping on the Dolph/AJ possibility. I just think it would be a step backwards for Dolph. What I'd like to see is Dolph completely break away from this and eventually move on to the WHC, while having Cena figure out why AJ did what she did and deal with it. It keeps Dolph moving towards something else and adds whatever interest is left for the Cena/AJ deal. Cena will rue the day he wanted a business dinner.

Winner and still MITB holder: Dolph Ziggler

Overall Impression:

I thought this was a pretty fun show. I'll admit that it wasn't perfect since some matches did drag. The first hour of the show didn't feel very memorable, but I didn't think it was that bad. I really think the tables match got the PPV to a good start, but those two mid-card title matches were pretty boring to watch. Everything picked back up with that TLC match and I think the evening continued to be on par for the rest of the night until the ladder match. This night featured some good wrestling AND good storyline development. We are left with a lot more questions than answers after tonight. Why did AJ screw over Cena? Hmmm….anyone else feel that question is oddly worded? Anyway, what does the Shield do after this? How will WWE continue to make the Shield a formidable foe? When will Dolph cash in the MITB? What do Show and Sheamus do after tonight? Yeah, so I think I made my point. All these make tomorrow's Raw more intriguing, which is one of the goals of a PPV. If I have to give WWE TLC 2012 a score between 1-10 and 5 being average, I'll give this an 8 out of 10. This is a PPV you really should check out. It makes a strong case for being the best WWE PPV of the year. I still think Extreme Rules was better, but dammit does this give it a run for its money. This is a PPV I highly recommend checking out. That's gonna do it for the review and I hope you enjoyed it. As always, tell me what you thought of my review or tonight's show. If you enjoyed any of these rantings, check out some of my other reviews and tell me what you thought of those. Anyone excited for the Slammys? Yeah, not even I could do that with a straight face. There's a reason why I do my own look at with the Best and Worst of at the end of the year. I will reveal more details later in the week on the 3rd Annual WrestlingNerd Awards. It should be a treat those new to the page in 2012. I will see you guys and girls in the next one.

WrestlingNerd's Official Score of WWE TLC 2012: 8 out of 10

PS: If you were wondering why there was no SD review or TLC thoughts last week, it's because I didn't feel it was right doing any reviewing or writing after the school shooting. I think everyone can join me in saying that our thoughts and prayers go out to anybody that was effected by this tragedy. This comes as a difficult time for the family and friends that now have to deal with lost ones going into the holidays, so let us all show some respect to those 26 innocent lives…

Thursday, December 13, 2012

What up wrestling fans, I'm the WrestlingNerd bringing you another written review. Today, we take a look at TNA Impact Wrestling 12/13/12. Does Impact deliver or will TNA fans continue to hate my guts? Let's find out and start the review.

We open up the show with Bobby Roode. He considers himself a good businessman, so he wonders why his deal with Aces and Eights went wrong. Good businessman? You invested in a stable that's been very inconsistent with their matches and motives for the last two months. Was that really a wise business move? Aces and Eights arrive and claim they were offered a better deal by somebody else. So, their motives are now back to money? Make up your damn mind. As soon as they reveal details, they are set to attack Bobby until Jeff Hardy and James Storm make the save….wait, what? I know both guys have some history with Aces and Eights, but just think about it for one moment and you will see the wrestling logic in full swing. We find out later in the evening that Hardy and Storm will go up against Aces and Eights. Yeah, that'll show them!!! The opening was a decent start to the show. It gives off foreshadowing for later in the night, so that's always a nice thing.

Match #1: Velvet Sky vs Madison Rayne

The pigeons are cooped up? You might want to get that looked at. Velvet is ready to compete, so virgins should get their dicks ready. Don't complain if you miss the bus ride. Velvet wins with the In Yo Face. She looks roughly the same in the ring as before, so that's a good sign. It was just a match to easily get Velvet back in the swing of things. Not a whole lot to talk about here.

Winner via pinfall: Velvet Sky

Match #2: Team Imitation Angle vs Jersey Dicks

Yeah, instead of drinking coffee, have a 5 hour energy drink *thumbs up*. If I want to f*** up my organs, I will definitely take your advice, Kurt. With the Direct Auto Insurance and now this, TNA really has figured out the definition of subtly….

I'm surprised Kurt didn't look in the camera and give off a cheesy smile in the process. Why do I get the feeling this is gonna be the next commercial for the energy drink? The match was just blah. Wes wins the match with a crossbody. I sound so excited for this. Kurt is celebrating until CHEAP SHOT!!! A random member of Aces and Eights (We'll just call him, 'Bat Boy') takes out Angle with a baseball bat. I love how the commentators bring up Kurt going after the TV Title next week. This is the most intrigue I've seen for the TV Title since….

Winner via pinfall: Wes Brisco and Garett Bischoff

We get a video of Joseph Park training at OVW. I love how they don't even show the building when Joseph arrives. I honestly was hoping for a gag reel/funny training montage. It had a few funny moments, but it was such a missed opportunity. I was a bit disappointed with this segment. I hope this is better next week.

Match #3: Jeff Hardy and James Storm vs Aces and Eights

Representing Aces and Eights were Doc and Unimportant Guy #86. This match actually wasn't that bad. I got an enjoyment out of this. The finish comes when Chain Dude and Rolls 'n Lard show up to attack Hardy and Storm, but the good guys take out the Aces and Eights members. Hardy wins this match with the Twist of Fate. After the match, Devon reveals and Austin Aries was the guy who paid them off. Hulk Hogan and Bobby freak out over the reveal. So, here's my question. Why did Aries pay off Aces and Eights? Weren't these the same guys who almost broke his arm a few months back? Plus, why screw over Bobby? Aries has had issues defeating Hardy and has had no problems defeating Roode. With that said, it would've made more sense from Aries' standpoint to let Bobby win the title. So right off the bat, there's plot holes all around. At the same time, I don't really mind this scenario. I can see Aries twirling his mustache and team up with Card Games and it makes him stand out a lot more, so I'm actually somewhat interested in this.

Winner via pinfall: Jeff Hardy and James Storm

AJ Styles comes out and explains he isn't happy. He's tired of being the company guy and is gonna look out for himself. Screw the rules, I don't have a personality. I love how the fans are cheering for Styles at the end of his speech. I really wonder if the Impact Zone fully watches the show or are just looking at people to cheer or boo them. Listening to promos? What's that? Dixie Carter wonders what has Styles become. After dealing with a sex scandal, a ridiculously long feud, and a bad actress, is that really the appropriate question to ask? I love how Dixie shows up for this very brief moment and has never shown any concern for Aces and Eights invading her company for months. Yeah, even the president of the company doesn't sees Card Games as a threat. I kinda like this progression with Styles. After all the stupid things he has endured this year, it's time for him to get a repackage of some kind. I think what they should do is keep Styles off television for a few months and have him return with a new agenda. It doesn't necessary mean a heel turn. He can still play face if you want him to, but something to change him up.

Match #4: RVD vs Kenny King

What in the world is that music Kenny comes out to? Can you even classify that as entrance music? Seriously, what is that? I thought this match was better than their match at FR, but I need to not remind myself about FR. Kenny wins this match by having his feet on the ropes to steal this match. I kinda like this move by Kenny. It doesn't necessary mean a complete heel turn, but it shows something that Kenny hasn't done since walking into TNA, which is the presence of a personality. Part of the reason I haven't drank any of the IWC Kool-Aid on Kenny is because I just find his personality beyond boring. After tonight, he showed me more here than he has all year. There's still hope for Kenny, but we'll wait and see. Speaking of the screw job, I love how the ref got kicked by Kenny and didn't even bother to turn and see what he was doing. The wrestling logic is very strong with this show.

Winner via pinfall: Kenny King

Hogan and Bully curse like crazy while talking about Brooke Hogan. Bully claims he isn't interested in Brooke and she's coming onto him, while Hogan isn't sure what to believe. I'm with Hogan here. I honestly don't know what to think of any of this. I like the tone in the promos, but I just don't like the whole concept of daddy/daughter drama. Funny how this was the storyline that followed after Hogan's sex tape. I'm just tossing that out there and you can take of it whatever you will.

Match #5: Bully Ray vs Jesse

I was surprised in how long this match lasted. It was only there to boost Bully's confidence or vent out some anger. I'm sure if you're nice enough, you can persuade your wife to have a three-way with Brooke. Bully Cutter for the win.

Winner via pinfall: Bully Ray

Austin Aries comes out to explain himself. He claims he payed off Aces and Eights because he didn't like how Hogan had him fight his own war and didn't get payed or respected during his world title reign. So, you're angry that you didn't get paid, so you shell out the extra bucks to pay a group of rebels? It's funny if you look at it like that. I'm not really big on Aries' explanation since it doesn't make the most sense, but I'm just glad to see Aries doing something more. Aries explains that he isn't fully working with Aces and Eights. Yeah, even he knows teaming up with them is a bad idea. Aries did mention how his goal is to become world champion again. Again, if he wanted to become champion, wouldn't Bobby winning the title make more sense since he seems to have issues defeating Hardy? I know, we gotta keep the face/heel balance in the wrestling world. Hardy shows up and claims he does whatever the fans tell him. I fight for my friends and fans!!! Anyway, Hardy offers Aries a world title match for next week, but Aries claims he will do things on his own time. The two brawl to end the show. Things are getting crowded with the world title situation. In fact, what I see happening is Bobby getting thrown into the mix to make it a triple threat match at the next PPV. I kinda want to see that.

Overall Impression:

For some odd reason, I got more enjoyment out of this than I did Final Resolution. That may not be saying much, but I liked the progression of tonight's stuff compared to FR. RVD/Kenny was better this time around. While logic is raped up the ass with Aries' motives for hiring Aces and Eights, Aries being that cunning mastermind is okay with me since he plays that role so well. The match quality wasn't too bad either. I wouldn't call this an amazing show since I would mostly consider it average, but this is the best episode I've seen out of TNA for the past month. It's a good thing, but it's also scary. Impact is at least worth a look tonight, but I'll admit it isn't perfect and isn't for everyone. That's gonna do it for the review and I hope you enjoyed it. As always, tell me what you thought of my review or tonight's show. I will see you guys and girls in the next one.

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

What up wrestling fans, I'm the WrestlingNerd bringing you another written review. Today, we take a look at TNA Final Resolution 2012. Was the PPV any good? Let's find out and start the review.

Match #1: James Storm vs Kaz

We open up the show with a match that wasn't scheduled. So, what's the reasoning for this match? Hmmm….I got it!!! Kaz never paid for some of his beers during their Fortune days, so now Storm seeks redemption for the tab. Yeah, this match had no purpose to anything. This is the definition of filler, but why do I get the feeling I'm gonna be using that word a lot for this review? Storm wins this match with the Last Call. The match was short and forgettable.

Winner via pinfall: James Storm

Match #2: RVD vs Kenny King; X Division Title

The match could be considered good, but I had no interest in this match since this title match was slapped together at the last moment. I love how the commentators are trying to build a story with these guys. If this match had been hyped up for weeks, than this would be okay, but I just can't get into this match because of the cheap build. You know it's bad when then 'This is Awesome' chant is so phoned in. I guess it really wasn't that awesome. RVD wins with a leg cover. Not big on the finish, but one thing it does is that it keeps the rivalry going since Kenny lost to the equivalent of a rollup. This feud still has some hope after tonight, so that's a good thing. I still stand by what I said earlier in saying the build for these two should've happened much sooner in order to make this match mean something tonight. Hopefully, that means good things for Genesis.

I understand why Morgan has the cape, but it looks so ridiculous on him. I can't take him seriously in that. He looks like Superman's gay cousin. The match was okay, but it tells a better story. Just as Chavo is about to pick up the three count, Morgan pulls the ref out of the ring. This gives Chavo and Hernandez a DQ victory. This keeps things going between the two tag teams. I actually don't mind this rivalry continuing. It at least gives the tag teams something to do.

Winner via DQ: Chavo Guerrero and Hernandez

Match #4: Austin Aries vs Bully Ray

I don't have a problem with Aries and Bully having a feud. In fact, they had one earlier in the year that was pretty fun to watch, but I hate the fact they are being used in this Hogan drama. They are both above this and it's just ridiculous to watch this play out. I just wanted to get that out of the way just in case I caused some confusion with my thoughts after last week. Did Bully just hit a missile dropkick? I don't think he's done one of those since 150 pounds ago. That just blew my mind. Hey look!!! A bloodspot!!! That means every Attitude Era fanboy just had an orgasm. Brooke Hogan runs to show concern for Bully, but Aries decides to….scold her? Seriously, what's he doing? What do you hope to accomplish from this? I don't like Brooke's reaction to seeing the blood on Bully. She has seen her father covered in blood for years, so why this reaction now? That's like seeing Samus Aran having post traumatic syndrome after seeing Ridley for the---wait a minute? I understand the thought process for this scene, but I still find it silly. You could argue she was taken back by Aries' screaming, but now we are getting into the acting territory of a WWE diva. Yeah, that's not really a good thing. Hulk Hogan arrives five hours later and takes his daughter out of the ring. Hearing Bully say, "You need to get her out of here" bothers the hell out of me. He's not a good guy no matter how you sugarcoat it. During the distraction, Aries hits a low blow on Bully in order to steal this match. This match…..This match!!! What more can I say about this? The actual match was fine, but I really didn't care for the other stuff. I know they are telling a story here, but I really just don't like it. It's a terrible storyline that isn't making anybody look good. Aries and Bully look like total tools as they continue to see the father/daughter sideshow.

Winner via pinfall: Austin Aries

Match #5: Tara vs Mickie James; KO Title

What the hell is hardcore country anyway? I really wanna know. She inverted her womanishness? You want to take another crack at that one, Tazz? I really think you should. In terms of women's wrestling, this match wasn't too bad. It was tolerable to say the least. The finish comes when Jesse causes enough of a distraction for Tara to hit the Widows Peak. After Velvet Sky's return, this comes as no surprise. As for Mickie, she can do……..Hey look, a penny!!!

Representing Aces and Eights is Devon, Doc, Bland Man, and Unimportant Guy #59. This match was all over the place and ridiculous to watch. I guess you can consider it good wrestling, but it was way too crowded. Instead of storyline development, progress, and/or turns, you get none of that since Kurt wins by pinning Bland Man. I'm so very disappointed with this match. Why did nothing exciting happen? In fact, why didn't anything happen? Hell, I would even ask why did this even take place? If they weren't gonna do anything with this, I don't understand even doing the match. I know it bothers people that Aces and Eights lost….again, but I'm more disappointed that nothing happened here. Things were set up for a turn, a swerve, or ANYTHING and you get nothing. You get nothing!!! You lose!!! Good day, sir!!! Do I dare continue to watch this? Apparently I do.

Winner via uncreative staff: Kurt's team

Match #7: Christopher Daniels vs AJ Styles

Once again, Styles and Daniels have a great match. While I agree this match was great, I've seen these two lock up for the better part of 18 months and if I've seen it once, I've seen them all. One thing I liked about this is Daniels winning this match why Styles' finishing move. This will greatly effect Styles' character development and it could make for something interesting to happen with the guy. I really do hope this is the last time we see Styles and Daniels. They have delivered good matches, but we really need a break from this. If you keep this going, it will only get dumber and dumber. This match was the only saving grace from this whole evening.

Winner via pinfall: Christopher Daniels

Match #8: Jeff Hardy vs Bobby Roode; TNA World Championship

This match was pretty good, but you can argue that it overstayed it's welcome. I don't mind longer matches, but I think this ate up a little too much time. Aces and Eights show up and it appears they are gonna help, but they just stand there. Hardy hits Twist of Fate while Bobby was distracted without getting his help. After the match, Card Games takes out Hardy. Roode immediately wonders why they didn't do that beforehand. Aces and Eights didn't hold up their end of the bargain and claim they do whatever they want. Aces and Eights ends the show by taking out Bobby. So, let me get this straight. They went from doing whatever they want, to working for money, and now back to doing whatever they want? This is beyond retarded. How lazy can your creative staff get? There's almost no imagination going on here. The only good thing about this type of booking is that it sets up a rematch between Bobby and Hardy. That's the only good thing that comes out of this. If it isn't already clear, I'm not happy with this PPV. This might be the worst PPV I've seen all year. And it really pains me to say that since TNA was putting on some good PPVs within the last few months. December has not been a good month for TNA.

Winner via pinfall and still world champ: Jeff Hardy

Overall Impression:

I didn't watch this PPV on the day it originally came out because of scheduling conflicts. With that said, I'm actually glad I wasn't able to watch this live since I have no idea what my reaction would be then. I'm sorry, but I can't praise this PPV. This entire PPV was nothing more than filler. I felt like TNA robbed you since you literally got nothing with this PAID event. Most of the matches were pretty forgettable and I have to wonder why this PPV was even here. I hate being that guy who's so negative towards TNA since I see potential with this company. Heck, I gave them praise earlier in the year, but I can't support this. Do you honestly feel this is PPV quality? This was a glorified Impact taping at best. There was no turn of any kind, nothing new was brought to the table, and Aces and Eights looks even more ridiculous than they did at the beginning of the night. Yes, Styles and Daniels was great and you can argue that it stole the show, but I can't really say that since there was no show to steal it from this. It was a great match, but that's all that stuck out from the whole evening. If I have to give TNA Final Resolution a score on a scale of 1-10, I have to give it a 3 out of 10. This might be one of the worst PPVs I've seen all year. The event doesn't offer a whole lot and after a steady stream of good PPVs, TNA ends 2012 on a bad note in the PPV department. Once again, I'm sorry for the poor score, but that's honestly where it ranks up with me. I just felt bored and/or disappointed for most of the evening and was just hoping that the show would just end early in order to make this easier to digest. We started to get something good when Styles/Daniels rolled around, but that doesn't take away from what had transpired earlier in the night. If you liked the PPV, more power to you. You obviously saw something out of it that I didn't see, but this event really didn't deliver in the storyline department and the wrestling quality was below what TNA normally gives you. That's gonna do it for the review and I hope you enjoyed it. If you enjoyed any of this, you can check out some of my other articles. Being that I haven't already pissed you off already. I will see you guys and girls in the next one.

WrestlingNerd's Official Score of TNA Final Resolution 2012: 3 out of 10 & TNA fans will curse me out

Monday, December 10, 2012

What up wrestling fans, I'm the WrestlingNerd bringing you another written review. Today, we take a look at WWE Raw 12/10/12. With TLC set for this week, how does the 'go home' episode fair? Let's find out and begin.

We open up the show with Dolph Ziggler. You know, I just figured out something. If the MITB is on the line for TLC, why wouldn't Dolph just cash it in now? He could be a world champion and completely avoid John Cena. Yeah, you know we are in store for something when I open up the article by talking about wrestling logic. Dolph talks about defeating Cena, but Sheamus interrupts and claims that he will be the world champion at TLC and will NOT allow himself to lose to Dolph. Sheamus must've read the script if he sounded so confident. Big Show arrives since he wants to remind you what he's doing this Sunday. Sheamus decides to take his rage out on Dolph since the no contact rule is still active. It was a pretty basic opening. I really liked Dolph's promo. It's funny how he referred to Vince McMahon as Santa Claus. Hey, you would give Cena multiple title shots if he made you so much money just from merchandise sales.

So, we once again have Vince McMahon show up to make another match. I once again have to bring up the argument; what is the point of having a GM/authority figure if Vince will go ahead and make the matches? Because Vince wanted some time off, that's why. Anyway, it turns out it will be Vickie vs AJ later tonight. AJ is so excited about this news that she goes back into her crazy habits. She walks in the men's locker room and tells Cena. Cena is now uncomfortable. Funny how relationships works. You have no problem getting a quickie or making out with her, but now it gets serious and you are no longer interested. I'm convinced that AJ is forever doomed to be that diva who kisses every guy on the roster and just simply moves on to the next. What a wonderful career……for a prostitute. By the way, didn't the BOD say Vince is no longer able to run the day-to-day operations and make the matches? That wrestling logic can be beautiful, sometimes.

Match #1: R-Truth vs Wade Barrett

Antonio and Kofi argue, while Truth wins with a rollup. The match lasted about two minutes. Sigh….why? I really have to wonder why book it like this. Now, I guess you can argue that a quick rollup doesn't hurt your stock too much, I just don't find it necessary. That's all the build you get between Wade and Kofi. There's barely any rivalry between the two and has gotten build up for the last month. That's a bad sign right there. Maybe I'm being too negative about this? I did mention that I wasn't big on this potential rivalry and maybe I'm just adding more salt to the open wound. There's probably something I'm missing between the two, but the rivalry has felt very lackluster in my opinion.

So, the deal with this match is whoever wins the match will go up against Rey Mysterio and Sin Cara at TLC. The winner of THAT match will become the #1 Contender to the tag titles. What the hell is Cody wearing under his lip? Is that a mustache? That has to be the worst mustache ever. It's like a bug made a nest on his face. This was a fun tag team match. It worked like an elimination match. I was stunned to see the Usos as effective as they were. They took out the PTP and PRE with the Superfly Splash. I think it was great to see them get some exposure since they deserve it. The Usos almost win, but Cross Rhodes does them in. It really should go to RS since they still have some business with Team Hell No. Hopefully, this performance means good things on the way for the Usos.

Winner via pinfall: Rhodes Scholars

Match #3: Eve vs Alicia Fox

Alicia dives into being bi-polar once again since she plays both face and heel. Eve wins with the swinging neckbreaker. Okay, so did the Eve/Kaitlyn storyline just blow up or something? Seriously, it kinda just stopped. Is Vince Russo somewhere in the back? Ohhhh noooooooo!!!

Winner via pinfall: Eve

CM Punk comes out to talk about his injury status. If you aren't aware, Punk won't be able to compete at TLC because of emergency knee surgery. During this promo, Punk poked fun of the Rock for having to get a stunt double. Yeah, some early build for the possible Punk/Rock match at the Royal Rumble. Yeah, cuz getting a world title match and working like ten shows a year sounds totally fair. Punk vows he will be present for the TLC PPV since he wants to see what the Shield can do to Ryback and Team Hell No. I imagine Punk will be doing commentary for this match. Well, it would create a loophole for Shield to win this match. This segment was put together to get people up to speed since nobody watches Smackdown these days. I think it does the job.

Match #4: Dolph Ziggler vs Sheamus

This match was pretty good. It was given a fair amount of time and the counters towards the end were pretty creative. The finish comes when Dolph uses a chair on Sheamus, thus causing a DQ. I personally don't have a problem with this since both guys need to look strong going into TLC. After the match, Dolph is about to use the chair again, but Sheamus ends up hitting the Brogue Kick on the chair. Dolph saw his life pass before his eyes and gets the hell out of there. I would've run too if I was almost kicked in the face.

Winner via DQ: Sheamus

Match #5: Alberto Del Rio vs Zack Ryder

Vickie, Khali, and Hornswoggle threesome? I think I just threw up inside my mouth. So, let me get this straight. Ryder can give Del Rio a fair match, but Wade loses in less than two minutes to Truth? That makes perfect sense….sigh. I was surprised and confused with Ryder giving Del Rio a fair contest. It isn't a bad idea if they're planning to use Ryder for something, but I just can't see them doing anything with the comedy act. Del Rio wins with the Cross Armbreaker. It's Del Rio's destiny to do nothing at TLC.

Winner via submission: Alberto Del Rio

Match #6: AJ vs Vickie Guerrero

Brad Maddox makes his return as a crooked referee and ends up screwing over AJ by completely avoiding her. You can make the argument that Maddox is trying to butter up Vickie to earn himself a contract, but kinda hard to be nice to somebody who sent you to die against Randy Orton last week. The match was bad, but what did you expect? It's mostly there for storytelling and nothing more. Vickie gets a quick rollup victory on AJ. After the match, AJ looses her damn mind and starts to throw a temper tantrum. Justin Roberts hasn't seen so much physical abuse since Daniel Bryan saw him wearing a tie. I like AJ at certain moments, but even I have to agree that she's a bad actress. After a commercial break, AJ continues to break the sound barrier as Cena comforts her. Once again, Cena seems put off by all of this. Cena is such a great person, don't you think? He's teaching you the importance of hitting it and quitting it. What a role model!!!

Winner via unemployment: Vickie Guerrero

Match #7: Antonio Cesaro vs Kofi Kingston

Antonio speaks bulls*** in five different languages. In a solid match, Antonio wins with the Neutralizer. I don't take anything away from Antonio's in-ring skills. He's a good wrestler with a unique style, but I stand by what I've said about his character. It's the cliche, anti-American deal that I'm sick of seeing and Antonio almost has nothing interesting to say, despite being a good talker. I think Antonio has a lot to offer, but I feel he's very restricted with what he can do with this character.

Winner via pinfall: Antonio Cesaro

Yeah, I don't think I would be relying on Game Informer to determine what are the best video games to play. Seriously, half the games mentioned were sports games. Well, at least Assassin's Creed got some love. Time for Miz TV with Rhodes Scholars. While this adds intrigue to the #1 Contender match, why wasn't Rey and Sin Cara able to interact with their opponents tonight? That would've done a whole lot more than what they did here. I'm guessing Rey wasn't available since Sin needs a translator. I think somebody tried to convince me that Miz is playing more of a tweener. Now that I think about it, Miz really does come off as a tweener. This is probably the best role for him since he needs to keep some of his devious ways or else he just becomes another Cena wannabe. The segment was strange, but in a good way. I kinda liked it since I didn't take it seriously.

Match #8: John Cena vs Big Show

Cena and Show as the rivalry of the year? LOL….ohhhhhh, these guys crack me up sometimes. AJ wanted to watch this match, but Cena wouldn't allow it unless AJ gave him a 'power boost'. The match was okay, but I've seen it more than enough times to know how these work. Cena is about to win until the Shield attacks. So, Cena's injustice was…..wearing those shorts for ten years? Actually wrestling a match? Teasing a girl? Anyway, Team Hell No arrive to even the odds. Dolph, Show, Sheamus, and Ryback arrive to join the party. I know people are gonna bitch about Ryback's ladder throw on the Shield, but that throw was awesome. It's like he said "F*** you, bitch!!!". I really enjoyed that, but I do hope everyone is okay after that. The show ends with a brawl. They might've gone a little overboard with that brawl, but it does set up the PPV.

Winner via DQ: John Cena

Overall Impression:

This episode of Raw isn't as good as some of the previous weeks, but this show did a good enough job to hype up the PPV. They touched based on all the matches set to occur at the PPV and I think added some intrigue to the event. Was it perfect? No, because I felt they could've done better with some of the other matches. The two mid-card matches for TLC haven't had the best build going into the event, but they did hype up the replacement TLC match. I'm very interested to see how that match turns out. Cena and Dolph is another intriguing match because of the stipulation. They also wrote a scenario where AJ will accidentally cost Cena the MITB, thus allowing Dolph to keep his briefcase. Even the #1 Contender match to the tag titles looks interesting. Not the best card going into a PPV, but it looks interesting. Tonight's show featured some okay matches and lots of talking. This is about what you should expect for the 'go home' episode since they want to keep their guys healthy going into the PPV. That's gonna do it for the review and I hope you enjoyed it. Tell me what you thought of tonight's show or the review. I will see you guys and girls in the next one.